If one looked at the origins
of Indian cinema then one would be surprised to learn about the extent of mythological
influence. Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema, saw great potential
in the retelling of tales from the Hindu mythology. The germ of the idea was
born when he watched a silent film called The
Life of Christ in a tent theatre. Having seen the evocative images of Jesus
Christ in the film he envisioned a similar depiction of the Hindu gods and
goddesses in Indian films, and the rest is history. About three decades after
Phalke made India’s first film Raja
Harishchandra, Ghantasala Balaramaiah made a Telugu film titled Mahiravana in
the year 1940. The film was a huge success thanks to the lavish sets designed
by TVS Sharma and Govind Rao Bhadsavle’s brilliantly imaginative cinematography.

And, almost eight decades
after Mahiravana, Rajiv Chilaka-helmed
Green Gold Animation brings to theatres the 3D animation film Hanuman vs Mahiravana, directed by Dr.
Ezhil Vendan, which retells the story of the epic battle between Lord Hanumana
and the demon king Ravana’s treacherous brother Mahiravana. An evil sorcerer
and the king of the underworld, Mahiravana kidnaps Lord Rama and Lord Lakshmana
at the behest of his brother. Mahiravana wants to sacrifice both the princes to
further strengthen his great mystical powers. A film like Hanuman vs Maharavana is a reminder of the timeless nature of these
mythological tales. For, in the right hands, they can be made as relevant today
as they were in the times of Phalke. Probably, the only difference would lie in
their treatment and packaging.

In the recent years,
animation has become the primary choice for mythological storytellers in India.
The trend of course started with the ‘Chhota Bheem’ franchise, also helmed by Chilaka,
which paved the way for animation-based mythological films in India. Now, let’s
take the case of Chilaka’s latest offering, Hanuman
vs Mahiravana. For Hanumana, rescuing Rama and Lakshmana is a race against
time and so naturally it demands a thriller approach and that’s precisely what
the story adopts. Now, Chilaka and team could have easily chosen the epic
approach as well but probably it wouldn’t have suited the story. For, in a
short run time of 90 odd minutes it is difficult to do justice to the demands
of epic storytelling. The most striking thing about the film is its focus on
its villain. It doesn’t treat Mahiravana as a cardboard character. On the
contrary, the character is carefully written and designed. Perhaps, it has to
do with the influence of the Avengers:
Infinity War. There is something about powerful villains that seems to
attract the young minds and the animation filmmakers in India have clearly
taken a note of it.

Distributed in India by
Yashraj Films, Hanuman vs Mahiravana has
been released in over 350 theatres across India in Hindi as well as Tamil. The
association between Green Gold Animation and Yashraj Films can actually go a
long way in creating a new niche for animation films in India. Hanuman vs Mahiravana employs cutting
edge CGI and VFX to create an immersive experience. The film’s soundscape is
just as powerful as its visuals. The rivalry between Hanumana and Mahiravana is
presented really well. If anything, the opening and the closing sequences with
the kids and the archaeologist could have been done better. There is a stark
difference in the animation quality of these sequences and the rest of the
film. But it is only a minor slipup. While
watching Hanuman vs Mahiravana one
realizes the progress that animation films are making in India. While there is
still a long way to go before we can match the visual mastery of Hollywood there
is no denying that the future of animation in India is in safe hands. But what’s
even more satisfying is that today we can wield the power of animation to retell
the same mythological stories that Dadasaheb Phalke helped revive a century
back—a reaffirmation of Phalke’s belief in the timeless nature of Hindu
mythological tales.

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Murtaza Ali Khan is an independent film critic / journalist based out of New Delhi, India. He has been writing on cinema for over seven years. He runs the award-winning entertainment blog A Potpourri of Vestiges. He is also the Films Editor at the New York City-based publication Cafe Dissensus and regularly contributes to The Hindu and The Sunday Guardian. He was previously a columnist at Huff Post. He has also contributed to publications like DailyO, Newslaundry, The Quint, Dear Cinema, Desimartini and Jamuura Blog. He regularly appears as a guest panelist on the various television channels and is also associated with radio.